pub serving age

[john030389]

hi, i work in a pub as a cook, am 17 , my girl friends brother is the dps, if he gives me permision/letter to say can i server alchol. would this be ok or not?
also on the bootom on the staff rotter it says all above staff have the authorisasation of the dps to serve alcholo on his bahalve, can i still serve or not? and does somone have to agrre ever time even if its in a letter etc

i have read another post related to this but want clarification on this

[Buenchico]

The rules in a pub are the same as in a supermarket. Someone under 18 can serve alcohol but only if that specific sale is authorised by an adult (who is themselves authorised by the licensee to serve alcohol).

You've almost certainly seen the situation at supermarket checkouts where a checkout operator, who is under 18, has to seek the approval of an adult colleague before making the sale.

Supermarket managers may not give general authorisation for under-18s to sell alcohol. (i.e. every sale requires separate approval). Exactly the same situation applies in pubs. Licensees cannot give 'blanket' authorisation to an employee, under the age of 18, to serve alcohol (either verbally or in writing). The licensee/DPS (or an employee over the age of 18) may only authorise each sale individually.

Chris

[tony1941]

There is a fairly recent provision in law which permits a person of 16 or over to serve alcohol in a bar "under supervision" (which does not mean each individual sale) provided that they are enrolled in a recognised apprenticeship/training scheme. Check with the British Institute of Innkeeping for details. I think that, in practice, what it means is an NVQ in a relevant subject, together with all the regular assessment that that implies.

[Buenchico]

Sorry, Tony, but I think that you're wrong.

Prior to the recent changes in licensing legislation, there was provision for authorised sales by persons under-18 who were enrolled in a Modern Apprentice scheme. This provision does not seem to have been carried forward into the new legislation.

My statement that sales by under-18s must be authorised individually is based upon the content of the other thread which John refers to. I originally provided an incorrect answer to that thread (based upon information on a police website which referred to the Modern Apprentice scheme). I was corrected by Dannydingbat. He's a lawyer working with licensing legislation and writing a book on the subject - so I'm more than happy to go along with his assertion that all sales must be specifically authorised.

http://www.theanswerbank.co.uk/Jobs_and_Careers/Question 208760.html

Chris

[dannydingbat]

Good memory Chris - you got it dead right!

[john030389]

thanks guys, i will have to put this to the manager, however i am willing to bet that their is a company policy that wont let me

[gammaray]

Do you suffer from excessive key bounce John ? I'm not the world greatest speller and pots and kettles spring to mind, but re-read your original post.

What's wrong with that picture?

[dannydingbat]

I am normally the first person to turn away and leave a posting unanswered if the spelling and grammar are not up to scratch. However, I often put my normal approach to one side if I understand the point at issue. Chris had already covered the point brought up in a previous question by us both. I think if the person posting has a general concern which can be easily dealt with coherently and speedily, the spelling and communication are not that important.

[The Seeker]

I agree, dannydingbat. I worked as an editor/proofreader/writer for a few years and spent my days correcting people's spelling and grammar. However, most of the time on these boards you can understand what people want to say, even though it may not be spelt correctly.

Not everyone is an expert in the written word, but that doesn't mean they should be mocked because of it. There may be reasons for it that are not apparent to us.